The World’s Best Bar – 2016

For those who travel frequently, whether for business or travel, you know that every bar across this globe has a different feel depending on which neck of the woods you are in; and all bars are not created equally.

Drinks International Magazine has once again gathered its list of the top bars around the world for 2016, and it seems those in London England may have something to drink about right now.
That is because the city’s Artesian bar was dethroned from its top spot on the magazine’s bar list this year, after dominating it for four years. It was replaced by the Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog in New York City, where the bar was announced as the best in the world at an awards event in London, of all places.

Co-owner of the bar, Sean Muldoon stated that winning the ‘world’s best bar’ for 2016 feels like training for Olympic gold, and winning. He adds that the bar takes everything they do seriously and they strive to do their best. He also noted that they have tried numerous times to win the award, so it feels good to win.

CNN reported that Manhattan’s Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog has trailed London’s Artesian for years now, hitting the silver spot in second for two years in a row in 2014 and 2015. In an unfortunate twist of events, the London bar did not even hit the top 50 bars in the magazine’s list this year.
So, what’s up with Artesian’s plummet from the top spot?

According to the World’s 50 Best Bars Editor, Hamish Smith, at this point last year the two head bartenders at Artesian were quite influential, developing the bar’s menu, concept, philosophy, and ethos. Smith went on to state that they resigned from the bar the night after winning the coveted award for the fourth time, and nine other bartenders followed; leaving Artesian without a bar staff. Smith goes on to add that this industry is all about people and less about the establishment. He notes that if you want to hit the 50 best bars list, you need to have control over everything and run a tight ship.

New York and London have been rivals in the world’s best bar scene for a while not, with the two cities often hitting the top five spots each year. This year’s list covered 50 winners from 20 countries and 27 cities. The spots were compiled with 450 votes from the world’s drink industry elite.